Hoboken Mayor Meets With US Attorney As Christie Deals With Upset Donors Over Bridgegate

While Governor Chris Christie spent yesterday in Florida trying to convince major GOP funders that the Bridgegate scandal would blow over, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer met with the US Attorney in New Jersey to discuss yet another investigation into Christie’s conduct as governor, this time related to abusing his power by using federal aid from Hurricane Sandy as leverage to push a preferred and clearly unfair land development deal.

Mayor Zimmer turned over her personal diary to the US Attorney which includes the alleged incident when New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno pulled Zimmer aside at a public event to tell her that if Zimmer did not support a shady land development project in Hoboken that benefited a politically connected firm then the City of Hoboken would be cut out from Superstorm Sandy aid which was under the control of the Christie Administration.

The mayor released a statement saying she met with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark for several hours at their request and turned over the journal entry she cited as proof of her conversations with Guadagno and Constable.

“As they pursue this investigation, I will provide any requested information and testify under oath about the facts of what happened when the Lieutenant Governor came to Hoboken and told me that Sandy aid would be contingent on moving forward with a private development project,” Zimmer said in a statement.

Meanwhile Governor Christie was spending time in Florida trying to reassure major GOP donors that the ongoing scandal over improper and illegal lane closures on the George Washington Bridge or “Bridgegate” would not prevent him from successfully pursuing the agenda of the Republican Governors Association which Christie now leads.

Though Christie was in Florida under the guise of helping Governor Rick Scott raise money for re-election, the two never appeared together in public. Given the severity of Bridgegate and the issuance of subpoenas to Christie’s office in the investigation it was at one point an open question if Christie would even take the Florida trip.

So far, Christie has largely avoided speaking with news reporters in Florida. Reporters were kept on the highway outside and out of view of the Country Club of Orlando while Christie joined Scott at a benefit lunch there on Saturday. Attendees told reporters Christie did not speak about the allegations he is facing in New Jersey.

In fact, Governor Christie has remained uncharacteristically tight lipped since numerous statements he made in his Bridgegate press conference has proved to be questionable. Other members of Christie’s staff have also been implicated since the press conference, no word if Christie plans to take any more decisive action.